Last Modified: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 5:24 p.m.

In this July 7, 2013 photo, Ricou Browning holds a poster from the movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon". In the mid 1950s, a grotesque costume turned Ricou Browning from a soft-spoken family man into an ugly “gill man,” also known as the “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Now remembered along with King Kong and Godzilla as one of the most horrific monsters of the silver screen, Browning had the underwater role of the amphibious monster in Universal Studios' black-and-white horror flick, originally shot in 3-D. Browning then continued filling that role in two sequels, “Revenge of the Creature” and “The Creature Walks Among Us.” According to Browning, the underwater portions of the film were shot at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs and in a tank at Marineland in St. Augustine. While professional actors played the creature on land, Browning donned the full-body suit for the underwater scenes.

CandaceWest.com

Now remembered along with King Kong and Godzilla as one of the most horrific monsters of the silver screen, Browning had the underwater role of the amphibious monster in the Universal Studios black-and-white horror flick, originally shot in 3-D. Browning then continued filling that role in two sequels, "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us."

According to Browning, the underwater portions of the film were shot at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs and in a tank at Marineland in St. Augustine. While professional actors played the creature on land, Browning donned the full-body suit for the underwater scenes.

"It was cumbersome at first," Browning recalled. "When I first put it on, it seemed awkward and clumsy. But, once I got into the movie, I forgot I had it on. I became the creature."

While Browning's swimming ability made him a perfect candidate for the monster's role, his daughter, Renee Le Feuvre, who is working on her dad's biography, remembers him as a mild-mannered, but fun, family man. She recalled the exotic animals he brought home in a day when a permit for such pets wasn't required.

"Every time he got an idea for a movie, he would bring the animals home," Le Feuvre said. "We had a sea lion that sat at the dinner table. My dad wrote a movie about a sea lion called "Salty." We had otters, a baby black bear, and a female peacock that would sit on our shoulder and drink iced tea out of our glass. All the kids in the neighborhood wanted to come over our house, because it was like a zoo."

Browning, born Feb. 16, 1930, in Fort Pierce, was like most other Florida-bred youngsters who gravitated to the water early in life. While in the Air Force, he swam on the military swim team.

But, years before that, as a teenager, he hooked up with Newt Perry, best known for his stand-in performance for Johnny Weissmuller. Perry did the swim scenes in the "Tarzan" films that were shot at Silver Springs in the late 1960s.

When Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs, Browning worked there as a lifeguard and also swam in the water shows. While there, Browning learned an underwater hose-breathing technique Perry had taught the mermaids. Browning later used that same technique for the "Creature" films.

"I learned to breathe from the end of an air hose," Browning said. "It was like if you're in the backyard and have a hose running. You drink what you want and let the rest spill out."

Though Browning has been clocked holding his breath for up to four minutes, he modestly denied it was a regular ability.

"If you're not doing anything at all, four minutes is possible, but not if you're moving in the water," he said. "If you're swimming fast or fighting, you use up a lot of oxygen, and it cuts it down to, at the most, two minutes."

? ? ?

Browning dove head-first into the film industry. Over the years, he worked as a second unit director, underwater sequence director and stunt coordinator. Some of Browning's film work also took him to the Bahamas, where he coordinated the underwater segments for "Thunderball," was a technical adviser for Mike Nichol's "Day of the Dolphin" and directed a Lloyd Bridges special, "Man Against the Sea."

He also was a stuntman in two dozen films, a dozen of which were shot at Silver Springs, including "Don't Give Up the Ship," "Hello Down There" and the James Bond feature "Never Say Never Again." Browning said he also participated in 30 episodes of "Sea Hunt."

"I played all the bad guys in ‘Sea Hunt,' " he said.

"Courtney Brown doubled for Lloyd Bridges," Browning added, in reference to a former swim buddy who lived in Ocala during the filming and died in Pompano Beach in 2007.

Browning worked closely with several other Ocalans at Silver Springs. Among them were Bill Ray, Bruce Mozert, Pat Nelson, Bud and Patsie Boyette, and the Silver Springs mermaids, Betty Frazee and Ginger Stanley, who also was a swim double for Julie Adams in "Creature from the Black Lagoon."

Browning also collaborated with his sister's husband, Jack Cowden, in a couple of writing projects, giving movie-goers the family films "Salty" and "Flipper," which also became a TV series.

Browning said the idea for "Flipper" came to him after he and Newt Perry traveled to South America and captured fresh-water dolphins in the Amazon River.

"We brought them back to Silver Springs," Browning said. "I became their parent, apparently, and took care of them. One day, when I came home, the kids were watching ‘Lassie' on TV, and it just dawned on me, ‘Why not do a film about a boy and a dolphin?' I was a slow writer and Jack was a great writer, so I got with him. We went to Bruce Mozert's cabin on the lake, spent a weekend there and wrote the story."

After several failed attempts to find a publisher for their book, Browning contacted "Sea Hunt" creator, Ivan Tors, whom he had met while working on the TV series.

"Ivan liked it and got with MGM," Browning said.

? ? ?

Today, at 83, Browning lives near Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Fran. He said he sometimes returns to Ocala to visit friends. Though it's been years since any major filming has been done at Silver Springs, Browning said the park's best feature, its crystal clear water, could still attract the movie moguls.

"I think it's possible," he said. "I think it has as much to do with the people who run it and how well they cooperate with the people that want to film. For the ‘Creature,' they didn't do any topside filming. They only shot underwater. As far as underwater activity is concerned, it hasn't changed. Except for a little more grass, it's still the same."

<p>In the mid-1950s, a grotesque costume turned Ricou Browning from a soft-spoken family man into an ugly "gill man," also known as the "Creature from the Black Lagoon."</p><p>Now remembered along with King Kong and Godzilla as one of the most horrific monsters of the silver screen, Browning had the underwater role of the amphibious monster in the Universal Studios black-and-white horror flick, originally shot in 3-D. Browning then continued filling that role in two sequels, "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us."</p><p>According to Browning, the underwater portions of the film were shot at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs and in a tank at Marineland in St. Augustine. While professional actors played the creature on land, Browning donned the full-body suit for the underwater scenes.</p><p>"It was cumbersome at first," Browning recalled. "When I first put it on, it seemed awkward and clumsy. But, once I got into the movie, I forgot I had it on. I became the creature."</p><p>While Browning's swimming ability made him a perfect candidate for the monster's role, his daughter, Renee Le Feuvre, who is working on her dad's biography, remembers him as a mild-mannered, but fun, family man. She recalled the exotic animals he brought home in a day when a permit for such pets wasn't required.</p><p>"Every time he got an idea for a movie, he would bring the animals home," Le Feuvre said. "We had a sea lion that sat at the dinner table. My dad wrote a movie about a sea lion called "Salty." We had otters, a baby black bear, and a female peacock that would sit on our shoulder and drink iced tea out of our glass. All the kids in the neighborhood wanted to come over our house, because it was like a zoo."</p><p>Browning, born Feb. 16, 1930, in Fort Pierce, was like most other Florida-bred youngsters who gravitated to the water early in life. While in the Air Force, he swam on the military swim team.</p><p>But, years before that, as a teenager, he hooked up with Newt Perry, best known for his stand-in performance for Johnny Weissmuller. Perry did the swim scenes in the "Tarzan" films that were shot at Silver Springs in the late 1960s.</p><p>When Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs, Browning worked there as a lifeguard and also swam in the water shows. While there, Browning learned an underwater hose-breathing technique Perry had taught the mermaids. Browning later used that same technique for the "Creature" films.</p><p>"I learned to breathe from the end of an air hose," Browning said. "It was like if you're in the backyard and have a hose running. You drink what you want and let the rest spill out."</p><p>Though Browning has been clocked holding his breath for up to four minutes, he modestly denied it was a regular ability.</p><p>"If you're not doing anything at all, four minutes is possible, but not if you're moving in the water," he said. "If you're swimming fast or fighting, you use up a lot of oxygen, and it cuts it down to, at the most, two minutes."</p><p>? ? ?</p><p>Browning dove head-first into the film industry. Over the years, he worked as a second unit director, underwater sequence director and stunt coordinator. Some of Browning's film work also took him to the Bahamas, where he coordinated the underwater segments for "Thunderball," was a technical adviser for Mike Nichol's "Day of the Dolphin" and directed a Lloyd Bridges special, "Man Against the Sea."</p><p>He also was a stuntman in two dozen films, a dozen of which were shot at Silver Springs, including "Don't Give Up the Ship," "Hello Down There" and the James Bond feature "Never Say Never Again." Browning said he also participated in 30 episodes of "Sea Hunt."</p><p>"I played all the bad guys in 'Sea Hunt,' " he said.</p><p>"Courtney Brown doubled for Lloyd Bridges," Browning added, in reference to a former swim buddy who lived in Ocala during the filming and died in Pompano Beach in 2007.</p><p>Browning worked closely with several other Ocalans at Silver Springs. Among them were Bill Ray, Bruce Mozert, Pat Nelson, Bud and Patsie Boyette, and the Silver Springs mermaids, Betty Frazee and Ginger Stanley, who also was a swim double for Julie Adams in "Creature from the Black Lagoon."</p><p>Browning also collaborated with his sister's husband, Jack Cowden, in a couple of writing projects, giving movie-goers the family films "Salty" and "Flipper," which also became a TV series.</p><p>Browning said the idea for "Flipper" came to him after he and Newt Perry traveled to South America and captured fresh-water dolphins in the Amazon River.</p><p>"We brought them back to Silver Springs," Browning said. "I became their parent, apparently, and took care of them. One day, when I came home, the kids were watching 'Lassie' on TV, and it just dawned on me, 'Why not do a film about a boy and a dolphin?' I was a slow writer and Jack was a great writer, so I got with him. We went to Bruce Mozert's cabin on the lake, spent a weekend there and wrote the story."</p><p>After several failed attempts to find a publisher for their book, Browning contacted "Sea Hunt" creator, Ivan Tors, whom he had met while working on the TV series.</p><p>"Ivan liked it and got with MGM," Browning said.</p><p>? ? ?</p><p>Today, at 83, Browning lives near Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Fran. He said he sometimes returns to Ocala to visit friends. Though it's been years since any major filming has been done at Silver Springs, Browning said the park's best feature, its crystal clear water, could still attract the movie moguls.</p><p>"I think it's possible," he said. "I think it has as much to do with the people who run it and how well they cooperate with the people that want to film. For the 'Creature,' they didn't do any topside filming. They only shot underwater. As far as underwater activity is concerned, it hasn't changed. Except for a little more grass, it's still the same."</p>